THREATS TO SOVEREIGNTY DRIVEN BY THE PURSUIT OF BLACK GOLD
Abstract
Venezuela’s vast oil reserves have made the country a strategic focal point in global energy politics while simultaneously exposing it to external pressure and internal instability. This article examines how the pursuit of “black gold” has contributed to growing challenges to Venezuelan sovereignty through sanctions, geopolitical competition, and foreign involvement. Focusing on the role of the United States and the counterbalancing influence of China, the study highlights how energy interests intersect with political narratives and economic leverage. The analysis shows that resource abundance, when combined with institutional weakness and global power asymmetries, can undermine sovereign autonomy rather than strengthen it. Venezuela’s experience underscores the continuing tension between natural resource wealth and the principles of political independence in the contemporary international system.
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